Woolborough House in London was the Espinosa family home from 1913. On the formation of the BBO, it became and remains today the Headquarters of the Organization. Many famous students studied with Espinosa at Woolborough House, including Phyllis Bedells and Ninette de Valois. In 1932 a studio was built alongside the house which has continued to host classes and BBO examinations and provides rehearsal space for many leading dance companies and professional artists.
Edouard Espinosa (1871-1950)
Born in Moscow - the son of Léon Espinosa and Mathilda Oberst.
Edouard Espinosa, as well as performing, assisted his father producing and choreographing for music hall, pantomime and plays throughout Britain and abroad. Edouard showed a particular talent for teaching and analysing steps and subsequently became Maitre de Ballet for Royal Covent Garden Opera, The Empire, The Alhambra and theatres in Paris, Berlin and New York. Espinosa codified the steps his father taught, which became the basis for the first structured syllabus of its kind to be devised internationally. Edouard was part of a large family, including his brothers Marius and Leo and his three sisters, who all became dancers and teachers, Judith, Ray and Lea Espinosa.
Espinosa was co-founder and Principal Examiner of the Association of Operatic Dancing. When he broke away from that body, many of his students had become prominent teachers in various parts of the British Isles and they formed the nucleus of the British Ballet Organization. Over the years, the Organization expanded, offering a syllabus and examinations in dance. It extended its influence to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and India as well as all over the British Isles.